Comments on: Globe & Post: Plagiarism vs Economic Disaster. Haven’t We Got Better Things To Discuss in Canada’s Election 2008?

By: Raul

Raul — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:10:40 +0000

Thanks for the link love, Jonathon, and I agree – we really ought to look at bigger/more relevant issues, like stopping gay-bashings like the one that just happened.

By: jnarvey

jnarvey — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:30:18 +0000

Oh, and I hope the credit crisis in the US did not unduly affect you while taking care of your home refinancing. I actually don’t know what the concrete effects have been on our financial institutions this week.

Bigger fish to fry, indeed.

By: jnarvey

jnarvey — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:28:05 +0000

I wouldn’t want anyone to think I actually condone plagiarism. Absolutely, this happened. A head — the one that wrote (ie. copied) the speech, though not the one who said the words — has already rolled.

I just thought the timing of it — given that the Liberals have reportedly been sitting on this info for months, is a bit silly. THIS is the Liberals secret weapon that’s going to rescue Dion from himself in this election?

But that’s politics. In an election, throw everything at the enemy and hope something sticks. All the parties, including (especially?) the Tories are guilty of this. I suppose I shouldn’t get so worked up.

Seems you’re right that both our leaders and our citizenry (including you and I) have lost the moral high ground on this one for not noticing for 5 years. Good points all around, Earnest Canuck. What is that saying about people getting the leaders they deserve?

By: Earnest Canuck

Earnest Canuck — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:03:52 +0000

Granted, bigger fish are fryin’ in the news this week, Narvey — the Mrs and I’ve been busy renewing our mortgage this week, how about that?? — but this plagiarism thing is more than a minnow. It, too, says something about our overall political culture, something unpleasant. The incident shows that elected life turns even smart guys into ventriloquist’s dummies. That can’t be insignificant.

How could Harper, advocating *that* position at *that* point in history, not have been familiar with the celebrated Howard speech by the time Lippert had him squawk it out in the House? The man’s supposed to be a *wonk*, for God’s sake. I find it unnerving in 2008 (now a key year, like ‘03, for being nervous) to learn that even the geeks aren’t doing their reading.

Mind you, no one else in all Canada, least of all me, noticed this cock-up for five long years. That can’t be insignificant, either. If modern pols pay no attention to what they say to us, it seems equally true that we citizens only pretend to listen to them. So what’s political conversation supposed to *accomplish*, exactly…?

Or maybe the lesson is that Harper is stupendously boring, even to himself.

The Star is giggling heartily over this, btw, and has the texts side by side here (scroll down to the sidebar):

http://www.thestar.com/FederalElection/article/508742

While the Grits, I grudgingly concede, have done a good job at Her Majesty’s Loyal Oppo Research, thus justifying the rather gleeful font in this handy PDF:

http://www.liberal.ca/pdf/docs/080930_harper_howard_e.pdf

Cheers,
EC (L).